# Straight guys in relationships: do you cover the expenses of meals and other outings with your mate?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-guys-in-relationships-do-you-cover-the-expenses-of-meals-and-other-outings-with-your-mate/661766>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [June 24, 2013, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-guys-in-relationships-do-you-cover-the-expenses-of-meals-and-other-outings-with-your-mate/661766 "2013-06-24T07:38:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 3

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-guys-in-relationships-do-you-cover-the-expenses-of-meals-and-other-outings-with-your-mate/661766/41 "2013-06-24T20:57:31Z")

</div>

I said “sometimes”, because that’s true. The other times, she gets the check. I may start getting the check more often now because I just got a raise in the last six months and she’s expecting lower income for the rest of her graduate studies. But it’s mostly even.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\
**Post date:** [June 25, 2013, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-guys-in-relationships-do-you-cover-the-expenses-of-meals-and-other-outings-with-your-mate/661766/42 "2013-06-25T10:41:52Z")

</div>

We’ve been married 34 years. We have a joint account, so the payee is whoever’s closest to the tab when the waiter leaves it. Since the missus keeps all the finances, I hand her the receipt if I “pay” it with my card.

I chose “sometimes”, since I couldn’t find a match to our situation.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DrumBum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e79b87/32.png) [@DrumBum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrumBum)\
**Post date:** [June 25, 2013, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-guys-in-relationships-do-you-cover-the-expenses-of-meals-and-other-outings-with-your-mate/661766/43 "2013-06-25T12:35:12Z")

</div>

Ms. DrumBum is the CFO and I always pay unless instructed otherwise.

I am curious about your “straight guys” qualifier. Is this not the case with gay men ?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\
**Post date:** [June 25, 2013, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-guys-in-relationships-do-you-cover-the-expenses-of-meals-and-other-outings-with-your-mate/661766/44 "2013-06-25T12:45:34Z")

</div>

We trade off, mostly without keeping track of who pays and who doesn’t (i.e., its informal). We do tend to take into account who is employed and who isn’t, and at what level and so on. My GFs all pay date expenses some of the time though.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\
**Post date:** [June 25, 2013, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-guys-in-relationships-do-you-cover-the-expenses-of-meals-and-other-outings-with-your-mate/661766/45 "2013-06-25T12:49:39Z")

</div>

> [@DrumBum](#):
>
> I am curious about your “straight guys” qualifier. Is this not the case with gay men ?

I assume in such a relationship, the guy pays by default.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-guys-in-relationships-do-you-cover-the-expenses-of-meals-and-other-outings-with-your-mate/661766.md?page=2)